Current Affairs Secondary School Level

My desire is to become a film-director, Different people have different aims. Mostly young people want to take up the safe and common careers like Engineering, Medicine, Civil or Military Services, legal practice or some family business. I do not like these dull professions. They may satisfy others. I want something more exciting and challenging. I have always been attracted by the film world. Right from the first day of my seeing a film I was in love with this world. I have seen many films - some good and some bad. The good films gave me great pleasure and thrill. I have seen social films, religious films, historical films, adventure films, children's films, comedies, tragedies — all. However, my favourite films are historical, adventurous and children's films. My desire to become a film-director has become very strong because I find that most directors make very poor pictures. Their pictures - are without taste, quality or imagination. For one good picture there are ten bad pictures. They will make either 'art’ pictures without any entertainment value or popular pictures full of cheapness and dullness. Why can't they make pictures which are popular and yet entertaining in a decent manner. I am sure it-can be done and I am going to do it. I shall first complete my studies. Then I shall join the Film Institute at Poona for special training in film direction. Then I shall enter the film world and try to bring in an age of good pictures in India. There are some directors even now who are trying to keep up the tradition of making good, clean and entertaining films. Unfortunately, they are fighting a losing battle. When I join that group I shall organize things in a professional manner. There will be a regular, well-planned campaign. We shall try to involve the government in an active manner. So far the government participation is very indifferent and unimaginative. I am sure if we go about the whole thing in a proper manner we can work wonders. I hope arid pray that God fulfils my desire.

Summer is the hottest season of the year. March, April, May and June are the summer months. May is the hottest of all. We have our summer holidays in that month. People generally prefer to go to hill stations for a vacation. They enjoy the cool breeze and get a getaway form the summer heat. I enjoy having cold drinks and ice creams. It is the season of mangoes, oranges and water melons. During this season many of us like staying indoors. The days are long and hot. Children also tend to enjoy indoor games. Some like to enjoy themselves at the beach. They wear caps, sunglasses and cool swimwear. Some enjoy sitting under a parasol. Some go for swimming or surfing. It is important to put on a good sun screen lotion. Though the season is hot we look forward to the summer holidays.

“Walt Disney,” the name that is synonymous with animation pioneered the art of creating animated film cartoons and revolutionized it. He was a man with great vision and an innovative genius. Walt Disney was born on 5th December, 1901 and he had 5 older siblings. When he was four, his family moved from Illinois to Marceline. He lived with his family on a farm and it is here that Walt met Fr. Sherwood who encouraged him to sketch a picture of his horse, and this started Waifs tryst with sketching. Later, when his family moved back to Chicago, Walt took up classes at McKinley High School and night courses at the Chicago Art Institute. At the age of 22, he was airing cartoons called “Laugh-0-Grams” at the local theater. The cartoons were successful enough to afford him a new studio but he went bankrupt because he was unable to afford the huge salaries of his staff. Eventually, he made his way to Hollywood where he set up his studio and made “Alice Comedies”. This heralded the beginning of the Disney Brothers' Studio. Walt Disney went on to make many full length cartoons like Snow White, Bambi, Pinocchio but his most endearing cartoon remains Mickey Mouse. Walt's biggest gift to cinematic pleasure was his use of the 'Multiplane Camera.’ To him goes the credit for the world's first synchronised sound cartoon. Walt Disney died in 1966 but the man's spirit still lives on through Disney Movies.

Outline: Meaning and definition of human rights. Human rights in India. History of human rights in various countries. Establishment of various foundations to promote human rights. It is said that a right is not what someone gives you; it is what no one can take from you. Human rights are privileges and independence to which all humans are entitled. Advocates of the concept usually state that everyone is bestowed with certain rights simply for being humans. All human beings are born free and are equal in dignity and rights. The human rights can be defined as those situations of life and freedom that must be available to all individuals irrespective of their religion, caste, sex and race. In India by some way or the other, the basic human rights have been taken away from a vast segment of the population. Thousands of cases of domestic violence, dowry deaths and a dreadful number of child labourers are found in the country. We surely have a long way to go where securing basic human rights are concerned. It is our innate duty to give them their rights! The basis of most modern legal interpretations of human rights can be traced back to recent European history. The 'Twelve Articles', which were the part of peasant's demands in Germany, are considered to be the first record of human rights in the world. In the 19th century, human rights became a central concern over the issue of slavery. Social reformer like Wilberforce worked towards the abolition of slavery in Britain. This was achieved in the form of 'Slave Trade Act' of 1807 and the 'Slavery Abolition Act' of 1833. In United States, the institution of slavery was abolished by all the Northern States. Gradually, conflicts and debates over the slavery also ended in the Southern States. The establishment of the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the first of the Geneva Agreements in 1864 laid the foundations of the International Humanitarian Law. In 1919, the League of Nations was established after the end of World War I. The League's goal included preventing war through collective security, settling disputes between countries through negotiation and diplomacy, and improving global welfare. Gradually, it promoted many of the rights and later the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was included. Unfortunately, huge losses of life and gross abuses of human rights took place during the two World Wars (1914-1918) (1939-1945). During last few years the world has seen severe violation of human rights. The duty now lies on us to prevent the misuse of power and that the rights of the common men are protected. Only a determined effort on the part of individuals along with non- governmental and governmental organizations will help in safeguarding the human rights.

The possibility of using nuclear weapons in war is usually divided into two subgroups, each with different effects and potentially fought with different types of nuclear armaments. The first, a limited nuclear war (sometimes attack or exchange), refers to a small scale use of nuclear weapons by one or more parties. A "limited nuclear war" would most likely consist of a limited exchange between two nuclear superpowers targeting each other's military facilities, either as an attempt to pre- emotively cripple the enemy's ability to attack as a defensive measure or as a prelude to an invasion by conventional forces as an offensive measure. It will also refer to a nuclear war between minor nuclear powers, who lack the ability to deliver a decisive strike. This term would apply to any limited use of nuclear weapons, which may involve either military or civilian targets. The second, a full-scale nuclear war, consists of large numbers of weapons used in an attack aimed at an entire country, including both military and civilian targets. Such an attack would seek to destroy the entire economic, social, and military infrastructure of a nation by means of an overwhelming nuclear attack. Even the most optimistic predictions of the effects of a major nuclear exchange foresee the death of millions of civilians within a very short amount of time; more pessimistic predictions argue that a full-scale nuclear war could bring about the extinction of the human race or its near extinction with a handful of survivors (mainly in remote areas) reduced to a pre-medieval quality of life and life expectancy for centuries after and cause permanent damage to most complex life on the planet, Earth's ecosystems, and the global climate, particularly if predictions of nuclear winter are accurate. It is in this latter mode that nuclear warfare is usually alluded to as a doomsday scenario. The United States is the only nation to have ever used nuclear weapons during war, using two atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. After the bombings of Japan, it was unclear exactly what status the atomic bomb would have for international relations or military actions. It was believed that atomic weapons could offset the superior forces that the Soviet Union had in Eastern Europe, and possibly be used to pressure Soviet leader Joseph Stalin into concessions. Despite Stalin's palpable fear of the bomb, he too was pursuing his own atomic capabilities at full speed. For several years after World War II, the US developed and maintained a strategic force based on the Convair B- 36 bomber that would be able to attack any potential enemy from bomber bases in the US. It deployed atomic bombs around the world for potential use in conflicts. Over a period of a few years, many in the US defense community became increasingly convinced of the invincibility of the United States to a nuclear attack. Indeed, it became generally believed that the threat of nuclear war would deter any strike against the more...

Ours was a school known for academic excellence. We had never done well in any inter-school sports. But this year we had decided that we were going to win a prize. We were not going to train for all the events. We would put all our efforts into the 200 meters x 4 relay. Accordingly, I trained hard with the other four runners including Vishal the reserve. On the day of the run our confidence collapsed completely. Something unexpected happened. Our last and best runner Ashutosh was down with flu. There was no chance that he could participate in the relay. We were shaken, we had trained Vishal for all the positions except the position of the last runner. Vishal himself set about to console us and assured us that he would run as the last runner and would not disappoint the rest of us. All eyes were on Vishal as he received the baton without a flaw from Ronny who was the third man. The whole school began to chant. Go Vishal Go! Go Vishal Go! Run Vishal Run! Run Vishal Run! And he ran. We had never seen anything like it. He seemed to be seized by a demon, a good one of course, and dashed all the way to the tape leaving the other teams far behind. He made such a gallant effort that even the other schools cheered for him. When he touched the tape we went wild. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Vidyalaya, Borivali (W), had made a mark for itself in the sports arena. When our team was invited to receive the winner's trophy, we pushed Vishal for reward even though I was the team captain. Vishal marched up to the stage and received the trophy. After the event we all gathered around Vishal and congratulated him and each other. Next, our own principal came followed by some teachers and parents to congratulate us. Before going home that day, the four of us went to visit Ashutosh at his home to show him the trophy. After all the victory was his as well.

I want to be an engineer in life. Life is full of variety. There are different types of careers. Because of difference in natures and abilities of persons, people take up different careers. Opportunities also matter. Sometimes people may have abilities but not opportunities. Then they have to be satisfied with something different. I am lucky in this respect. My father is an officer with the Government of India. I am the only child of my parents. Luckily I am a good student too. So, if I am selected in the engineering competition, money will be no problem. And I am confident that I will be selected. I am training myself to study seriously from that angle. I have chosen to be an engineer because of many reasons. First, I like to dabble in technical things. I have been playing with Mechano since early childhood. I can repair ordinary things at home. At college also I have won prizes for my electronic models. Recently my father has purchased a small computer for me. I have learnt to handle it and I enjoy it very much. Also, engineering is a safe profession. One usually gets a job after completing one's course. With the big employment problem in India, it is very important to be able to get a job. Finally, there is job- satisfaction in this line. If a person is sincere and reasonably honest, he can get a lot of satisfaction as an engineer. He can have a genuine sense of fulfilment. There are different branches in engineering like Computers, Electronics, Mechanical, Electrical, Civil, Chemical, Textile, Metallurgical and Architectural etc. I want to go for Computer engineering. This is a developing branch. There is so much scope. I think I shall be able to contribute something if I take up this line. I hope God will grant me my wish.

It was a windy day yesterday. Raju and I were playing in the garden. We were caught by surprise when the wind began to blow strongly. The leaves began flying  everywhere. There was an old man sitting on the bench reading a newspaper. The newspaper flew off his hands. Raju’s hat flew off his head.       Suddenly there was a loud sound; two trees in the garden fell down. The birds in the nest started to fly helter skelter. The children in the garden got scared. Some wailed for their mothers. They held on to their toys and friends. The entire garden had become a big mess. The windy day had left a lot of small plants uprooted. The water fountain stopped working. I felt sad as we had to stop play and go back home.

The smell of smoke makes me feel claustrophobic. My weak lungs have to fight to breathe. I have to deal with it outside the theatre, the mall, on the railway platform, in the restroom and almost every public place I visit. I am in support of the banning of smoking in public places. Second hand smoke is very harmful to non-smokers. Every time I inhale second hand smoke it makes me angry that I am being subjected to it. Smokers believe that it is a free country and they should have the right to smoke wherever they please. A right that impinges on the comfort of your fellow citizens needs to be reviewed. No one is refuting the smokers right to smoke, it's just that, it’s about time that smokers realized that non-smokers have rights too. Every one has a right to a clean and safe environment. Youngsters watch older folk smoke in public places and think it’s cool to smoke. They try to emulate them. They think that smoking will make them look mature. Smokers must remember that they are disregarding their social responsibility to these youngsters when they smoke publicly. If they must smoke, then they should do so in private and not in a place where it might affect those who choose not to. 

Outline: Child abuse as a tragic problem. Forms of child abuse including physical neglect and physical abuse. India’s awareness towards the issue. Reasons for child abuse. Child abuse is one of the miserable and most tragic problems faced by various nations all over the world. Countless number of children are abused around the world every day. They are mistreated, beaten, neglected or even sexually abused by their caretakers and relatives,                Generally, there are three forms of child abuse. They are physical neglect, physical abuse and sexual abuse. Physical neglect is defined as a failure in providing the physical survival needs of the child to the extent that there is a risk to the child's health and welfare. Physical neglect includes insufficient food, insufficient accommodation, insufficient medical care and in sufficient supervision. Physical abuse is a form of child abuse that should be stopped as soon as possible. According to social organizations, beatings of children have grown over the past twenty years. This kind of abuse includes the physical disciplinary action that results in visible injuries on the body of the child. It also includes use of a life- threatening weapon, like a gun or a dagger, or removing a child from their family and/or prosecuting a criminal charge. In India, attention has been focused on child abuse since 1988, with the beginning of media awareness, and national seminars. It is believed that child abuse in India has not received adequate attention due to lack of awareness to the issue. Cases of child abuse often go unreported. Sometimes abused children say nothing because they feel that they are going to cause problems in the family. Other children feel they should suffer it quietly, to get their parent’s love. There are many reasons of child abuse. Many child abusers were also victims of the same. Mental illness is another common reason. Many abusers have personality disorders or other severe forms of mental illness. Psycho-social factors also play an important role. Other unexpected circumstance, include poverty, disability, divorce, sickness, lack of parental assistances and drugs. Understanding the root causes of abuse can help in prevention and curing the abused children. It is unfortunate to note that a few months old infants as well as teenagers are subject to child abuse. Thus, children of any age can be the target of this malpractice. Child abuse is a serious crime faced all over the world. It must be controlled and stopped.